View Photos of the 2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
Inflation is finally catching up to Mini's premium pricing.
The Mini Cooper JCW is unique as a compact front-wheel-drive convertible with lots of power.
With typical British restraint, race-car engineer John Cooper built the first mid-engine Formula 1 cars without boasting of his team's engineering superiority. But soon, every team would switch to mid-engine. His most successful commercial project, however, would come with Mini.
The Cooper was a sportier version of the 1959 Mini, which was supposed to be a frugal, post-war people's car for Britain. Then in the 1960s, it started winning races, beating much bigger cars, and the Cooper name became synonymous with small, powerful, and undeniably cute cars, just as it is today.
John Cooper Works is Mini's high-performance line that celebrates the Cooper legacy. The turbo 2.0-liter four makes 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, sent to a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. (The convertible only comes with the automatic.)
Additional styling tweaks, such as the polished black grille and rear venturi splitter, announce the JCW. All 2022 Cooper models feature redesigned front and rear fascias, fenders, and wheels. They also introduce new colors.
For 2022, Mini makes more equipment standard, including an 8.8-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, lane-keep assist, and forward emergency braking.
We drove two identical Mini JCW convertibles, including this Pepper White one in Michigan and a Chili Red example in Connecticut.
There's plenty of power, and the new automatic is much quicker than the last six-speed automatic JCW we tested in 2019. The 60-mph time of 5.7 seconds is a half-second quicker.
The steering is not up to Mini's go-kart expectations. It's slow and doesn't offer the road feel that a higher-performance car should deliver.
Regardless, nothing else looks like a Mini. The interior has elements, such as a giant mood ring, that you won't find in any other car.
It's slightly practical. Open the rear tailgate and it can support 176 pounds. Plus, the soft top can be left retracted like a sunroof without fully lowering it behind the rear seats.
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
2022 Mini Cooper JCW Convertible
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